Brattice panel mine ventilating systems have long been known in the art, as evidenced by the systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,778,979 (Lockhart), and 2,947,239 (Burgess). However, such simple brattice systems require disassembly of the panels from their means of support in order to permit extension thereof to new locations. Previous attempts to provide extensible panel systems have resulted in complicated systems which require floor jacks or some other form of ground support. Two examples of such prior art extensible systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,464,756 and 3,715,969, both to Burgess.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an extensible brattice panel with a roof bolt suspension system that does not require ground support.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an adjustable system which is not dependent on predetermined roof bolt locations.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide an extensible brattice panel and suspension system which creates an effective seal against both the mine roof and floor.
It is another object of the invention to provide an extensible brattice panel which employs lightweight hardware of minimum size for increased safety, and which can be easily fabricated from readily available components for reduced cost.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an extensible brattice panel system which permits continuous straight line extension of the brattice panel without having to lift or remove the panel.